Britain is to rejoin the space race with a series of projects designed to inspire a new generation of scientists

DAVID WILLETTS, the science minister, has heralded the beginning of a new space age for Britain, including a flight by the UK’s first official astronaut.
Willetts said Tim Peake, a former military helicopter pilot from Chichester, West Sussex, could travel to the International Space Station as early as 2014 after Britain pledged funding towards the European manned space flight programme.
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Willetts expressed the hope that his space projects would help create an “Apollo effect” in Britain, sparking nationwide enthusiasm for technology as America’s space programme had.He is also planning to invest millions of pounds in high-performance computing at a British facility that will become the nerve centre for the world’s biggest space telescope.
The Square Kilometre Array, a network of thousands of antennae spread across Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, will generate data at 20 times the rate of the internet as it gazes into the universe.Jodrell Bank, near Manchester, is expected to be named within the next year as the centre for processing and analysing the information.
The European Space Agency (ESA) is also to transfer its centre for handling and analysing the data generated by its satellites and other missions to a science park at Harwell, Oxfordshire.
Willetts warned that another ambition — for Britain to become home to Europe’s first space port — had become entangled in Brussels red tape. This bureaucracy had, he said, prevented Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic company, which is planning to take tourists into space on flights from next year, from setting up in this country. European Union airspace rules permit the use of conventional aircraft but not the kind of hybrid plane and spacecraft Branson will use.
Willetts said he was “very worried” about the attitude of Europe to advances in space and other areas such as nanotechnology, and accused Brussels and countries such as France of “putting obstacles in the way of innovation”.
“Space is no longer a luxury. It is not a vainglorious waste of money,” he said. “It is a crucial part of national infrastructure; it is crucial for both scientific research and commercial applications.”
In a speech in California next month, Willetts will announce £190m of government funding for space and science projects, including Jodrell Bank and a nearby centre to develop energy-efficient software to reduce computers’ use of electricity.
“We have a historic lead in high-performance computing which we are in danger of losing, but as we build up our capabilities in writing this software and handling these large datasets, this enables us to attract investment from companies like IBM and Cisco and build up our indigenous capabilities as well,” he said.
Willetts’s projects are part of a £600m technology initiative announced by George Osborne, the chancellor. It includes funding the development of commercial applications for graphene, an extra-tough, extra-thin carbon sheet material invented by physicists at Manchester University.
The minister admitted the £16m he had committed to the ESA was “a modest sum” compared with the £100bn cost of the International Space Station, but said: “We came in at a crucial point in the negotiations when there was a real risk for the ESA about maintaining their contribution.”
Britons have been into space before, but Peake would be the first officially representing this country. Those who have flown with Nasa, such as Michael Foale, have only been able to do so because they held dual British-US citizenship.
Peake is already training with the ESA, but could not be given a slot on a flight because Britain was not making any financial contribution.
“Nothing is guaranteed, but I will now be stressing very strongly that he should have a flight,” Willetts said.
“I know the flights are booked for the next 18 months, but we are now seen once more as a serious player in space. The other reason it matters is the Apollo effect — that is, if you want to interest young people in science, nothing beats the excitement of space and scientific discovery.”
Willetts said it was vital that the review of EU powers being carried out by William Hague, the foreign secretary, examined areas where Europe impeded scientific progress. He said it was possible some powers could be identified for repatriation, while Brussels needed to speed up its decision making.

Read this in the Sunday Times over the weekend and I just wondered if this has anything to do with Project Tomorrow? I thought the bit interesting about software development too, and it seems like its all local. What do you think?

The minister admitted the £16m he had committed to the ESA was “a modest sum” compared with the £100bn cost of the International Space Station, but said: “We came in at a crucial point in the negotiations when there was a real risk for the ESA about maintaining their contribution.

GAH! do these people actually believe what they say?

Last edited by Aenedor; January 4th, 2013 at 09:11 PM.
Reason: It's Friday night, I need to chill

Read this in the Sunday Times over the weekend and I just wondered if this has anything to do with Project Tomorrow? I thought the bit interesting about software development too, and it seems like its all local. What do you think?

I don't think it's related mate to be honest. If you look back through all the pages if this thread there's bits and pieces that you can put together to get an idea of what kind of..erm...thing Project Tomorrow is. I don't think this is it though

Wednesday evening saw the Manchester Evening News report a rumour that Apple could be one of 20 companies set to open in the city as part of a mysterious project known as &lsquo;Project Digital&rsquo; or &lsquo;Tomorrow&rsquo;.

The story ran following the letting of 20 buildings, totally 180,000 sq ft, being let, with a ten-year commitment for each. The buildings are based across The Hive in the Northern Quarter of the city, MediaCity UK and Booths Park in Knutsford.

Property consultancy Edwards & Co has been appointed as advisors on developing the plans for a Manchester based, as well as a future plan to enter into London, while the Sheilda Bird Group, the interior design firm, has been working for &lsquo;a global client&rsquo; for over two years, as its UK client design director.

Tenancy deals are understood to also have been concluded without the identities of the tenants being made known, mounting further speculation as to the size of the organisations involved.

The technology companies that are involved will form a community, which, should it go ahead, will boost the city&rsquo;s digital reputation on an international scale.

Tim Newns, chief executive of the city&rsquo;s development body, MIDAS described the potential of the project as being; &ldquo;the most exciting digital investment in the UK,&rdquo; stating that it could trigger a number of new investments within the area also.

&ldquo;It is therefore a testament to Manchester&rsquo;s growing reputation in the global digital community that the city has been chosen as the first location internationally to launch what will be ground-breaking technology. It will also be a huge opportunity for businesses based in Manchester and beyond to explore new ways of working to grow their competitiveness through enhanced technology,&rdquo; he added.

Also known is that Manchester creative studio The Neighbourhood has been working on the launch concept for the project.

In terms of international companies working within Manchester, Google already has a small presence in city, but is heavily rumoured to be one of the 20 involved, while ITV and BBC have both set up home within MediaCity UK in the last year.

Katie Gallagher from Manchester Digital is also enthusiastic about the future for the city, should the rumored organisations choose to set up shop in the city to work together on a project, described as being &lsquo;a world first&rsquo;.

&ldquo;We thought that the BBC was a game changer for the city, and indeed it was, but this gives us a whole new game altogether. Just looking at the size of the space they&rsquo;re taking &ndash; we could be talking 1,000 jobs there. That is mind boggling, and another BBC sized investment into the city,&rdquo; she stated.

Commenting as to what it would mean for the digital industry&rsquo;s ability to retain talent within the North West of England, Gallagher was also hugely optimistic.

&ldquo;There was a bit of a panic within the industry when the BBC was coming, with people wondering if they would lose their talent to the BBC. There maybe some short term issues with that, but I&rsquo;d don&rsquo;t think that there&rsquo;s been anything close to what people expected. The great thing about having these tech companies will be that they will be able to afford to train staff and it means that we can improve that mid-level tier of talent and it helps with that eco-system of spending your whole career in the North West,&rdquo; she commented.

Speculation will continue to rumble on as to exactly which the companies involved and what they will be working on, but it does look as though whatever the plans are &ndash; they are likely to be revealed in the coming months.

Updated:

The twenty buildings that have been selected as part of the project include; The Hive, 1 New York Street, Chancery Place, Orange at MediaCityUK, Number One First Street, The Peninsula Manchester, Riverside, New Bailey Street, 304, Bridgewater Place, Towers, Manchester, Booths Park, Knutsford, Citilab, 196 Deansgate and Manchester Science Park.

In a statement Atul Bansal, co-founder of the commercial interior design practice Sheila Bird Group, commented: &ldquo;This is an unbelievably exciting prospect for Manchester, as the first city to have access to this revolutionary technology and the potential is has to transform local businesses and the way they work, individually and together.

"As design director my team and I have had the opportunity to explore new ideas, pushing the boundaries to create a revolutionary concept. All of the spaces will differ both in style and design intent; none of the spaces will have a corporate style.

&ldquo;There is nothing like this anywhere else in the world. The walls will be &lsquo;alive&rsquo; and &lsquo;Tomorrow&rsquo; will drive a new approach to work interactions and conversations.&rdquo;

A major announcement on Project Tomorrow - the Manchester digital project said to involve one of the world’s biggest technology companies – is expected in the next fortnight.

The announcement will help to allay growing doubts about the scheme, which involves 20 locations around the city hosting 'ground-breaking technology'.

Some feared it had stalled, or had been abandoned altogether.

The project has been associated with a raft of global technology companies. Speculation has centred on global giants including Google, Apple and Microsoft. The name of the company involved has not been disclosed.

The statement is expected to clarify the project, announce a start date and provide an update on the progress being made to identify further sites in London.

Last August, an official statement from Project Tomorrow advisers confirmed speculation that terms had been agreed on 20 Manchester buildings totalling 180,000 sq ft in preparation for the launch

Some call it Project Digital; others refer to it as Project Tomorrow. Whichever you choose, Manchester is on the edge of its seat, writes Simon Binns.

There's plenty of established fact about the bumper 180,000 sq ft office requirement, which is shared across 20 buildings, including The Hive (Argent), 1 New York Street (Bruntwood), Orange at MediaCityUK (Peel), and Number One First Street (Ask).

Ten year leases have been signed by the collective of incoming tech firms. The product is based around interactive 3D modelling and data management that will allow companies to share information like never before, wherever they are in the world. As one person involved put it to me: 'The walls are alive.'

The covenant strength of the occupiers is platinum rated and what happens in Manchester may lead to 1m sq ft of office space being taken in London, as the project rolls south.

The one question that does remain, however, is the most important. Who is it?

In this day and age, keeping such a secret is a rare thing. Only five people in Manchester know who it is, and they've all signed confidentiality agreements. There are tantalising links to two firms in particular, however.

The project will doubtless need someone with the processing capabilities to underpin it. Step forward Cisco. A month or so ago, Phil Smith CEO of Cisco UK & Ireland, appeared at a Cityco panel discussion in Manchester on how the city establishes itself as a global tech base. Sat next to him? Sir Howard.

Then this video(below) popped up on Cisco's website, talking about the 'internet of everything', how people and cities get connected and how 'tomorrow starts here.'

Inevitably, Apple have been linked to the requirement too, which some may view as a lazy grab at a household name. But a recent episode of Radio 4's Today programme, added weight to the rumour. An item looking at Manchester's Sharp Project creative hub made reference to 'a major project involving a certain American company which makes phones, music players, tablets, and computers,' set to drop in 2013. It ended with the crunching sound of somebody taking a bite out of...well, you know.

The firm is working on a next generation cloud computing solution with Google, although last summer, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak made waves by saying the technology would suffer 'a lot of horrible problems in the next five years.'

The worst fate that could befall the announcement - when it does come - is that it is underwhelming, such has been the hype. And that the occupiers, while big players in their field, fail to grab the imagination of the public at large.

So while we should never wish our lives away...Manchester's office market is desperately waiting for Tomorrow to come.

Cisco unveils global integrated marketing campaign, "Internet of Everything", is a revolutionary campaign with a big message: Connecting people, process, data and things will make the network more valuable than ever

SAN JOSE, Calif., Dec. 10, 2012 – The Internet is only 8000 days old. 2.5 billion people and 37 billion things will join the Internet by 2020. And Cisco believes this is just the beginning. 99 percent of things in the physical world are still unconnected, ready to be woken up.

A campaign that connects the unconnected

Today, the company launched a new campaign that showcases how Cisco makes amazing things happen when we connect the unconnected.

These new connections mean unprecedented opportunities as people, processes, data and things join and interact on the "Internet of Everything." Things like medical devices. Buildings. Even highways.

Cisco's campaign, developed with branding and advertising agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners, introduces the tagline "Tomorrow Starts Here." There's broadcast advertising, digital and social media.
And a technology that's suitably innovative: augmented reality-enabled print advertising. With a smartphone or tablet, readers can bring print advertising to life. They can open up a world of videos, case studies, whitepapers, and infographics that they can share, like, follow or download. It proves this massive shift isn't just coming. It's happening.

The Internet transforms. Again.

"When the Internet emerged just over two decades ago, it changed everything. But what we're about to see makes that pale in comparison," said John Chambers, chairman and chief executive officer, Cisco. "The Internet of Everything will disrupt all kinds of industries. That means new opportunities, new businesses, new experiences and new services. And big opportunities for people, companies, and countries.

"The ‘Internet of Everything' demands a distributed, application-centric networking, computing and storage platform that connects things in ways that just weren't possible – even imaginable - before. And that explosion of new connection depends on Internet Protocol (IP)-enabled devices, more broadband access around the world, and IPv6. Our network provides an intelligent, manageable, highly secure infrastructure that can scale to support billions of connected devices."

Cisco at the center

"We love making change happen," said Blair Christie, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, Cisco. "It's in our DNA. Today's leaders want partners who can guide them through change and shape their organizations for the future. They're asking: how can all this connectivity help me grow my business, deliver better services and experiences, and open up new possibilities? Well, we've got the answers. The Internet of Everything will transform the way we live, work, play and learn, and we're right at the center. I think our new brand strategy captures the optimism and the opportunity waiting for Cisco. And the world." http://newsroom.cisco.com/release/11...ow-Starts-Here

The covenant strength of the occupiers is platinum rated and what happens in Manchester may lead to 1m sq ft of office space being taken in London, as the project rolls south.

This is a bit concerning and slightly disappointing to hear.

If Manchester is to be only the first 180k sq ft, prior to 1m+ sq ft being taken up in London, I fear that the Manchester base is to be nothing more than a springboard and proving ground, while the vast bulk of the business goes elsewhere.

In many ways this is natural and to be expected, I suppose, but the talk of 1m+ square feet possibly being needed is particularly galling, given what a transformation that would certainly have entailed for the Manchester technology economy. Although without a small array of new-build office development, Manchester probably* could not have catered for an office requirement that large anyway.

Thus, I suppose the alternative would have been for the entire project to be based in London from the start, so perhaps I should be grateful for the jobs and investment.

It all rests in the details anyway, of which we have scant few. Hopefully my pessimism will be proven wrong.

*I know grade-A space is very tight, indeed LNG has referred to London colleagues bemoaning this bottleneck of ours, but I don't know the actual figures; does anyone actually have a figure for the total amount of vacant office space still available here?

If Manchester is to be only the first 180k sq ft, prior to 1m+ sq ft being taken up in London, I fear that the Manchester base is to be nothing more than a springboard and proving ground, while the vast bulk of the business goes elsewhere.

In many ways this is natural and to be expected, I suppose, but the talk of 1m+ square feet possibly being needed is particularly galling, given what a transformation that would certainly have entailed for the Manchester technology economy. Although without a small array of new-build office development, Manchester probably* could not have catered for an office requirement that large anyway.

Thus, I suppose the alternative would have been for the entire project to be based in London from the start, so perhaps I should be grateful for the jobs and investment.

It all rests in the details anyway, of which we have scant few. Hopefully my pessimism will be proven wrong.

*I know grade-A space is very tight, indeed LNG has referred to London colleagues bemoaning this bottleneck of ours, but I don't know the actual figures; does anyone actually have a figure for the total amount of vacant office space still available here?

GVA Grimley published a document in 2012 querying whether Grade A office space in Manchester city centre was reaching a "tipping point".

This excludes the 180,000 sq ft of Project Digital will take - let's just assume 100,000 sq ft for the city centre because there are offices outside the city centre. However this will be offset by One St Peter's Square which will provide 210,000 sq ft of Grade A space when it opens in 2014.

__________________
"You design for the present, with an awareness of the past, for a future which is essentially unknown."

GVA believe at the moment there are numerous companies (excluding the rumoured 250,000 sq ft Barclays are looking for) which could occupy 800,000 sq ft of Grade A office space but there is only 400,000 sq ft of available space.

GVA also predict only 50,000 sq ft of Grade A office space will be available come end of 2013. The only good news on the horizon is One St Peter's Square which will boost that available space to 200,000 sq ft but even GVA think it could be fully pre-let before opening in March 2014.

Its not a matter of 'build it and they will come' - it is a matter of demand.

__________________
"You design for the present, with an awareness of the past, for a future which is essentially unknown."

22 Jan 2013 06:00
A major announcement on Project Tomorrow - the Manchester digital project said to involve one of the world’s biggest technology companies – is expected in the next fortnight.
The announcement will help to allay growing doubts about the scheme, which involves 20 locations around the city hosting 'ground-breaking technology'.
Some feared it had stalled, or had been abandoned altogether.>>